Mashed Potatoes (made in the crock-pot)

I find that crock-pot recipes can be hit or miss. Sometimes a recipe turns out great and sometimes it turns out dry. Crock-pot cooking takes some experimenting and recipes can tend to cook differently for everyone. A lot of that has to do with us not all having the exact same crock-pot. That being said have fun with this recipe and find what works for you. I think you'll be amazed at the results and how easy it is to make mashed potatoes in the crock-pot!

When I first tried this recipe it was for a special Christmas dinner. I think we had been in our new house for a week. I decided to invite over some sweet friends for a meal. They like us have families that aren't so close and a job that often prevents them from being able to travel around holidays. I love to share food and celebrate with others as much as possible. This was the first nice meal I fixed in my new kitchen which proved to have its challenges. I wanted creamy mashed potatoes as a side but getting used to working in a smaller space and realizing I didn't have room for one more pot on the stove got me thinking. I decided to take a big risk and make the mashed potatoes in the crock-pot. It made perfect sense to me. It was one less thing I had to find room for on the stove and they would stay
warm until the rest of the meal was ready. It truly was the PERFECT solution. These potatoes rocked my
world. They seriously were way better than any I had ever previously made and so so easy. I did add some
cheese and more butter at the end which probably helped. Get creative and add whatever flavors you like,
here are some ideas: cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, chives, green onion, bacon, any fresh herb,
paprika, olive oil, Parmesan cheese...

You can leave the peels on the potatoes and you hardly notice them because everything cooks down perfectly. Also use whatever potatoes you like I got russet because they were on sale. I also used an entire head of garlic, which I know sounds like a lot  but it goes on the bottom so that it roasts to a sweet perfection. I did add more stock while the potatoes were cooking because I didn't want them to get dry. Start with 1/4 of the container and keep an eye on the potatoes when you first make this recipe and add more as needed. 

This would work great if you work all day and wanted a side to go with your meal. Better yet if you want to make a Shepherd's Pie for dinner this would be an easy way to make the top layer. What do you usually have mashed potatoes with? 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!